“Advocating for my child enables me to advocate for the inner child inside of me.” - Patrice Sterling, Co-Author of The Moms’ Truth: Authentic Stories of Motherhood.

On Saturday, September 17 2022, the Friends-Stewards of African American Museum and Library at Oakland (FSAAMLO) gathered to enjoy an iteration of AAMLO’s Meet the Authors Series. We had the pleasure of meeting the authors of The Moms’ Truth: Authentic Stories of Motherhood. 

The Moms’ project showcased a collective of African American women advocates and ‘story sharers’ - a term that The Moms’ co-author Briana Dixon introduced us to. Draped in shades of purple attire, authors Marie Gilder, Jazzman Brown, Patrice Sterling, Briana Dixon and Jennifer Thompson graced AAMLO’s second floor gallery space ready to bestow their wisdom upon us. We learned that the authors are natives of the Oakland Bay Area and some of them have held lifelong friendships since grade school. What shined through as most prominent on this afternoon, was the show of sisterhood that bonded them. Evident in the ways that they supported and affirmed each other throughout the event. 

Each author read excerpts from their respective chapter and left us all hanging onto their every word as they courageously shared insights into their world of maternal intuition, challenges, achievement, loss and transformation. For more information about how to connect with the authors, search Sterling Patrice on Instagram and click the link below if interested in purchasing a copy of the book:

https://checkout.square.site/buy/Z2DDVDJYPUIDRM6BBWOVGA2C

By Joymara Coleman, MSW